Keycase



April 17, 1934. A. H. FRANKE KEYCASE Filed Dec. 27, 1952 Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES ATENT FICE 7 Claims.

This invention appertains to keyrings or carriers and has for one of its primary objects the provision of a keycase having novel means for expelling the keys from the case for use and repelling the keys to a housed condition within the case, the entire construction being such that the keys within the case will lie flat within the pocket and eliminate the formation of a bulky key assembly.

10 Another important object of my invention is to provide a keycase having a resilient slide-way in one wall thereof, with a key-carrier mounted in said case and provided with a finger-piece extending through said slide-way and exteriorly of the case, whereby the key-carrier with the keys can be quickly and instantly moved exteriorly of the case to allow the use of said keys, friction means being provided in said slide-way for hold ing the carrier in its innermost retracted position against accidental displacement, said friction means eliminating the use of expensive and troublesome clasps, locks, buttons, etc.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a keycase having a longitudinally extendng guide slot formed in one wall thereof, with a novel metal binding for protecting the walls of said slot, the binding being integrally connected at one end and free at its opposite end, whereby a substantial, resilient, hairpin structure .vill be formed for receiving the manipulating finger-piece of the key-carrier, one of the legs Jf the binding strip being provided with a pro ection at its inner end forming a lock for engaging the finger-piece when the carrier is in its retracted position to hold the same against accidental movement.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means whereby the finger-piece can be readily moved past the projection when the keycarrier is being moved to its innermost position and sprung past the projection when the carrier is being moved to its operative position, by a slight pulling or twisting movement of said finger-piece, so as to spread the legs of the binding strip relative to one another.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for connecting the free ends of the binding strip, so as to increase the resiliency thereof and to act as means for reinforcing the binding strip and the end Wall of the slot formed in the case.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for forming the key-carrier itself, whereby each of the key-receiving hooks will be swivelly mounted, so that the keys can be readily manipulated and whereby the keys will be insured of lying flat within the case.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a keycase which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a small cost and eliminate the difiiculties contingent with the use of other keycases.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:-

Figure l is a front elevation of my improved keycase;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view, illustrating the formation of the locking projection on one leg of the binding strip, the fingerpiece, or lug, being shown in cross section;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View, looking from the inside, illustrating a slightly modified form of locking device for the keycarrier;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing another form of my novel friction locking means;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail fragmentary View, looking from the inside, illustrating my novel key-carrier, parts of the carrier being shown broken away and in section; 80

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary transverse section through the keycase.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates my improved keycase which comprises a pair of similarly shaped companion walls 5. These walls preferably narrow toward one end, and the side longitudinal edges of said walls and the narrow transverse edges of said Walls are securely connected together by the use of stitching, or the like. The enlarged ends of the walls 5 are left free so as to form an entrance and exit to said keycase.

One of the walls 5 is provided with a longitudinally extending guide slot 6, and it is to be noted that this slot terminates short of the opposite ends of the case and is located approximately at the longitudinal center of said case.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a binding strip 7 for the walls of the slot 6, and this binding strip forms a protection for the walls of til the slot and acts as a guideway, as will hereinafter more fully appear. It is to be noted that the binding strip 7 is of a substantially U-shape in plan, in that the same includes the spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending legs 8 and 9, and the connecting bight portion 10.

The bight portion 10 is arranged adjacent to the open end of the keycase, and the formation of the binding strip is such that a substantial construction is had, allowing the legs 8 and 9 to flex relative to one another at their free ends. One of said legs can be provided with a struckout projection, or look lug, 11 which is located in close proximity to the inner end of the slot. By referring to Figures 2 to i, inclusive, it will be noted that the lock leg 11 is provided with an inclined, 01' tapered, face 12 and a substantially abrupt stop shoulder 13, the abrupt stop shoulder 13 facing the inner end of the slot.

Received within the keyca-se proper is the keycarrier 15. This key-carrier 15 is also of a novel construction and is preferably formed from a single sheet of metal and includes a flat body plate 16. This body plate 16 has one end provided with a series of equidistantly spaced openings 17 which form means for receiving the enlarged ends 13 of the hooks, of fasteners, 19 which receive the keys.

After the enlarged ends 18 of the keyhooks have een inserted through the openings 17, this end of the plate is rolled transversely to provide a barrel 20. This effectively holds the enlarged ends of the keyhooks in place but allows the free turning of said hooks for the manipulation of the keys carried thereby and permits the keys to lie flat within the case.

The plate 16 at its longitudinal center is provided with a ,finger-piece 21 which extends through the slot 6 and between legs 8 and 9 of the binding strip 7. This finger-piece can be struck out from the body plate 16 or connected thereto in any desired way. The part of the finger-piece 21 which extends exteriorly of the case can be provided with. any preferred type of finger-pull, or manipulating member, 22.

In use of my improved keycase, it can be seen that when it is desired to use the keys the fingerpiece 21 is pulled toward the enlarged open end of the case which positions the hooks and the keys carried thereby exteriorly of the case for use. The bight portion 10 of the binding strip forms a stop for the finger-piece and prevents the tearing of the material from which the case is formed.

When it is desired to retract the keys and the hooks within the case, the finger-piece is merely pulled inwardly. Obviously, as the finger-piece 21 strikes the lock lug 11 the legs 8 and 9 will be flexed allowing the fingerpiece to ride past said lock log. The lock lug 11 is disposed substantially the length of a finger-piece away from the inner end of the slot, and thus the finger-piece will be normally confined between the inner end wall of the slot and the abrupt shoulder 13 of the locking lug. This will effectively prevent accidental movement of the key-carrier.

To unlock the carrier to permit the same to move exteriorly of the case, the finger-piece can slightly twisted, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, for spreading the legs 8 and 9 which allows finger-piece to ride past the lock lug, or a quick forcible pull can be exerted on the finger-piece which will allow the same to ride past said lock lug.

In some instances it may be advisable to reinforce the inner free ends of the binding strip and I have shown such a reinforcement in Figure 3 of the drawing, and as shown the same embodies a substantially U-shaped wire spring 23. The legs of the U-shaped spring wire 23 are inserted within the legs of the binding strip, and one end of the spring wire can be offset, as at 24, and placed within the struck-out lock lug 11. Obviously, by the use of this spring wire 23 a resilient nature of the binding strip is augmented, and thus accidental displacement of the finger-piece is further prevented. The spring wire 23 lies within the case and is hidden from view.

As shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, the leg of the binding strip opposite to the leg carrying the locking lug can be provided with struck-in notch 24 of substantially the same shape as said lug. This forms a substantially tortuous way for the finger-piece which effectively holds the same against accidental displacement.

The construction of the key-carrier 15 is important, as not only does the arrangement of the plate 16 and hooks 19 allow the keys to lie flat within the case, but also allows the hooks to be held stiff thereby facilitating the sliding of the keys into and out of the case without danger of the hooks folding inward.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and novel form of keycase in which the use of all complicated fasteners and the like for the key-carrier is entirely eliminated. This not only reduces the expense of the keycase, but p rmits the convenient and quick manipulation of the key-carrier within the case.

While I have referred to the device as a keycase, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention can be used for other purposes, such as a case for sliding combs and the like.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but What I claim as new is:-

1. A keycase comprising a body including a pair of like-shaped walls, means securing the longitudinal edges of the walls and the transverse edges of the walls at one end, one of said walls being provided with a centrally disposed, longi tudinally extending guide slot, a substantially U- shaped binding strip in plan secured to the walls of the slot for protecting the same, said binding strip including spaced legs and a connecting bight portion disposed adjacent to the disconnected ends of said walls, said binding strip being flexible whereby to permit the spreading of the legs adjacent to their free ends, a key-carrier mounted in the body, a finger-piece on said keycarrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip and having a portion thereof projecting exteriorly of the body, and a friction lug formed on one of said legs and disposed in the path of the finger-piece and locking the fingerpiece against accidental movement in one of its positions.

2. A keycase comprising a body including a pair of like-shaped walls, means securing the longitudinal edges of the walls and the transverse edges of the walls at one end, one of said walls being provided with a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending guide slot, at substantially U-shaped binding strip in plan secured to the walls of the slot for protecting the same, said binding strip including spaced legs and a connecting bight portion disposed adjacent to the disconnected ends of said walls, said binding strip being flexible whereby to permit the spreading of the legs adjacent to their free ends, a keycarrier mounted in the body, a finger-piece on said key-carrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip and having a portion thereof projecting exteriorly of the body, and a friction lug formed on one of said legs and disposed in the path of the finger-piece and locking the finger-piece against accidental movement in one of its positions, said locking lug being disposed adjacent to the inner end of the slot and having a front inclined leading edge and an abrupt rear locking shoulder, the finger-piece acting as means for spreading the legs of the binding strip to permit the movement of the finger-piece past said locking lug.

3. In a keycase including a wall having a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending guide slot, a U-shaped binding strip in plan connected to the walls of the slot including spaced legs and a connecting bight portion, the bight portion being disposed adjacent to the front of said walls and permitting flexing of the legs adjacent to their inner ends, a key-carrier, a finger-piece on said key-carrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip, a struck-out locking lug formed on one of said legs and projecting toward the other of said legs and disposed in the path of the finger-piece to lock the same against accidental movement in one of its positions, and a U-shape reinforcing spring connecting the free ends of the legs of the binding strip.

4. In a keycase including a wall having a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending guide slot, a U-shaped binding strip in plan connected to the walls of the slot including spaced legs and a connecting bight portion, the bight portion being disposed adjacent to the front of said walls and permitting flexing of the legs adjacent to their inner ends, a key-carrier, a finger-piece on said key-carrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip, a struck-out locking lug formed on one of said legs and projecting toward the other of said legs and disposed in the path of the-finger-piece to lock the same against accidental movement in one of its positions, a U-shape reinforcing spring connecting the .free ends of the legs of the binding strip, and an offset projection on the spring received in said locking lug.

5. In a keyoase, a wall having a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending slot, a U-shaped binding strip in plan connected to the walls of the slot having resilient legs and a connecting bight portion, the bight portion being disposed adjacent to the outer end of said wall, one of said legs being provided with a struck-out locking lug adjacent to its inner end and projecting toward the other leg, said other leg being provided with a notch corresponding to the leg of the locking lug, a key-carrier, a finger-piece connected with said carrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip and movable past said looking lug.

6. In a keycase, a wall provided with a longitudinal guide slot, a continuous metal binding strip formed from a single piece of material around the walls of said slot to protect the same from wear, a slide piece in said slot, and means on the binding strip adjacent to one end disposed in the path of the slide piece to form a look therefor.

'7. A keycase comprising a body including a pair of like walls, means securing the longitudinal edges of the walls together, means securing the transverse edges of the walls together at one end, one of said walls being provided with a longitudinally extending guide slot, a substantially U-shaped binding strip in plan secured to the walls of the slot for protecting the same, said binding strip including spaced legs and a connecting bight portion disposed adjacent to the disconnected ends of said walls, said binding strip being flexible whereby to permit the spreading of the legs adjacent to their free ends, a key carrier mounted in the body, and a finger piece on said key carrier slidably mounted between the legs of the binding strip and having a portion thereof projecting exteriorly of the body.

ARTHUR H. FRANKE; 

